Actor G. Anton Moore brings Louis Armstrong to life in reading

Few 20th-century personalities would seem to lend themselves to a one-man show better than Louis Armstrong, the pioneering jazz musician and cultural ambassador whose contributions to American music and culture are vast and enduring.

Though there are already a few other worthy entries into that canon – the latest of which is “Satchmo at the Waldorf,” by Armstrong biographer Terry Teachout – Buffalo actor G. Anton Moore is developing his own tribute. He will give four staged readings of his play-in-progress, “Louis,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday through Tuesday in Buffalo East (1410-12 Main St.). Moore is hoping to get the show, billed as “a special journey through the life of Louis Armstrong,” in shape for a touring production.

The readings will also mark the final performances in Buffalo East, the former restaurant-turned-theater that has hosted productions by Alemaedae Theatre Productions, American Repertory Theatre of Western New York, Theatre Jugend and others. According to Verneice Turner, who manages the space, neighbors had made several noise complaints about parties hosted there, and she decided it was best to shut the space down.